Folding bed.



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FOLDING BED.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29,1904.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

CHARLES T. RICE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FOLDING BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application iled October 29. 1904. Serial No. 230,594.

1k) n/ZZ, whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. RICE, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Chicago,

small compass, and which when open resembles and has all the advantages of a rigid bed witlh none of the disadvantages of a folding bec In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bed embddying the features of this invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the bed in its folded position. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the bed when folded. Fig.

5 is a detail view showing the pivotal connection between the head and the bottom of the bed. Fig. 6 illustrates the pivotal connection between the foot of the bed and the bed-bottom. tive view illustrating one of the brackets by means of which the bottom is hinged to the foot of the bed. Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view on dotted line 8 8 of Fig. 2. Fig. 9'is a detail view illustrating the means of attaching the foot-lever' to the bed, and Fig. 10 is a detail section on dotted line l0 10 of Fig. 9.

In the production of a folding bed embodying the features of this invention I provide a head 1 and a foot 2 of any common or suitable design, having casters 3 for supporting the bed. The head and the foot are respectively provided with brackets 4 and 5, secured rigidly to said members in any suitable manner, as by placing the pieces forming the posts 6 of the bed in the sand of the mold and casting the brackets 4 and 5 thereon. An opening 7 in each of said brackets is adapted to receive the post 6. Each of said brackets also has an opening 8 for receiving a pivot -rod 9, by means of which the side rails of the bed are pivotally connected with the brackets 4 and 5. Upon the inner face of each of said brackets is a recess within which is formed stopshoulders IOand 11, and each of the brackets 5 also has a stop-lug 12 projecting into said recess. all formed integral with the body of the bracket. l

The bed-bottom comprises the side rails 13 and the end bars 14, the end bars being rigidly Fig. 7 is an isometric perspecsecured between the side rails at the head and the foot of the bottom. In this instance the side rails and end bars are formed from angleiron,lone iiange of which extends upwardly, the other flange projecting horizontally inward, thus providing means for holding the mattress in place. Midway in their length the side rails are divided, but are connected by means of a hinge-joint 15 of any suitable construction. In the present instance I have placed the leaves of the hinges 15 beneath the side rails 13, securing said leaves to the horizontal flanges of the adjacent ends of the twopart rails by means of rivets. This permits the ends of the upwardly-extending iianges of said side rails to abut, thus limiting the down- Ward movement of the hinge-joint 15. Near their outer ends the rails are provided in their vertical anges with openings 16 for the reception of the pivot-rods 9.

The head andthe foot of the bed are held in an upright position by means of two pivotal steadying-arms 17 and 18, which steadying-arms are herein shown as formed from angle-iron placed with one flange extending downwardly and the other flange horizonl tally. At their outer ends the stead yingarms 17 and 18 are pivotally secured to the under side of the brackets 4 and 5 upon one side of the bed by means of bolts 19, and their inner ends are pivotally connected by means cfa rod 20, near the upper end of which rod is formed a Shoulder 21. The extreme upper end of the rod 20 is screw-threaded to receive a cap-nut 22, having an enlarged base 23 for preventing unsteadiness of the joint, the attainment of which result is further promoted by inserting in the joint between the horizontal iianges of said steadying-arms a plate or washer 24. The upper screw-thread ed portion of the rod 20 extends through coinciding openings 25 in the horizontal flanges of the steadying-arms, said arms thus overlapping, the vertical iianges being cut away, so that when said bed is fully extended the further outward movement of said steadyingarms is prevented by the impingement of the abutting ends of said vertical flanges each upon the other. The lower end of the rod 2O is provided with a caster 26 of usual construction, which caster is adapted and intended to roll upon the iioor beneath the bed, and thus to support the inner ends of said Steadying-arms and in that manner to retain the head and the foot of the bed in their proper upright positions. If desirable, anad- IOO ditional pair of steadying-arms may be provided below the pair herein described, said additional pair of arms being made somewhat longer than the other pair in order not to interfere one with the other in their movements, or said additional pair may be placed upon the opposite side of the bed pivotally connected to the posts 6 on said opposite side, as hereinbefoie described.

At the foot of the bed and somewhat to one side of the longitudinal center thereof is a foot-lever 27, pivotally supported upon the end bar 14 in any suitable manner, as upon a rivet 28, so that said lever may be swung to one side, as shown in Fig. 9, when the bed is open. A stop 29 of any suitable description upon the under side of the end bar 14 limits the extent of pivotal movement of the lever 27.

A hook or latch 30, pivotally mounted upon shown in Fig. 3. The bed may be secured in this position by means of the hooks 30. Upon releasing said hooks the bed may be extended into its open position. When in this latter position, th'e outer ends of the side rails 12 rest upon the stop-shoulders 10 and extend beneath the shoulders 11 of their brackets 4 and 5, the outer end of the horizontal web of said side rails lying beneath the stop-lug 12 of the brackets 5. The strain upon the joint between said rails and brackets is thus relieved and the bed-bottoni prevented from sagging.

1t is clear that the construction herein shown may be changed or modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Wherefore I desire to have it understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details herein set forth.

I claim as my inventionl. In a bed,in combination, a head; afoot;

brackets secured to said head and said foot; folding side rails hinged to said brackets, each of said brackets having a recess upon its inner face, also having stop-slioulders integralA with said brackets, the end of one of which side rails lies within said recess, the end of said side rail when in its normal position lying beneath one of said stop-shoulders and resting upon the other of said stop-shoulders and means for holding said head and said foot upright.

2. In abed, in combination, a head; a foot; folding side rails hinged to said head and said foot; two steadying-arms for maintaining said head and said foot in an upright position, one of said arms being' connected at one end with said head and the other being connected at one of its ends with the foot, the other inner ends of said arms being pivotally connected together, each of said arms being shorter than the width of said head and said foot` whereby said arms will lie wholly within the bed at all times; and a rod for supporting the inner ends of said steadying-arms.

3. In a bed, in combination, a head; a foot; a bottom conprising end bars and two-part folding side rails, said end bars and side rails being formed from angle-iron, one liange of which extends vertically and the other flange horizontally inward, the ends of the vertically-extending flanges of said side rails abutting to limit the downward movement of said side rails; brackets on said head and said foot to which said bottom is pivotally connected, said brackets having recesses in which the corners of said bottom lie, said brackets also having stop-slioulders adapted to support said bottom and take the strain off the pivotal connection between said bottom and said brackets and means for holding said head and said foot upright.

4. In a bed, in combination, a head; a foot; a bottom having a transverse hinge-joint therein substantially at its longitudinal center; and a foot-lever attached to one end of said bottom for tilting said bottom upwardly.

CHARLES T. RICE.

Vitnesses: i

L. L. MILLER, M. M. DALEY. 

